Process of applying wear resistant metal coatings



' Aug. 20, 1963 J. M. BEYERSTEDT ETAL PROCESS OF APPLYING WEAR RESISTANT METAL commas Filed June 25, 1958 INVENTORS. JOl/A/ A2 ail [P571 07 Hid/ 45? f. [/P/C/(SOA/ HAW/P," 14 7415055 PROCESS OFAPPLYENG WEARRESISTANT METAL COATINGS John Beyerstedt, West Allis, and Helmer E. Erickson and. Henry H. Talboys, Milwaukee, Wis, assignors to Nordberg Manufacturing Qompany, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation ofwisconsin Fiied June 23, 1958, Ser. No. 743,803 1 Claim, .(ill. 1l'7--46) I United States- Patent Patented Aug, 2Q,

2' Adzer bits may be made of 'A.I.S.I. 6150 steel which, as

will be noted, is a steel with a relatively high'carbon content. Any addition of carbon to the base metal is undesirable, since its carbon content is initially high and additional carbon will make the bit brittle. Since bits of this nature are used for heavy duty, and are subjected to high impact, a brittle bit will be entirely unsatisfactory. Therefore, in applying the wear-resistant layer, the addition of carbon to the base metal must be avoided or minimized. The layerlZ is made up of Wear-resistant'hard particles held in a matrix material. For example, the particles may I be tungsten carbide and the matrix may besteel. The lay- Another object is a method of applying awear-resistant 1 layer to abase metal providing less embrittlement in the deposit and base metal. v g e I Another object is awelding method Which is faster and results in a substantial power saving Another object is a method of applying a wear-resistant layer to a basemetal which results in very little addition of carbon to the base metal.

Another object is a method of applying a Wear-resistant. layer of a matrix and wear-resistant particles to a base metal. withhuni-formdistribution of particlesin the ap plied matrix. p I

Another object is a method of the above type which provides a good bond between the layer and base metal.

er may come from a rod, as at 14 in cross-section in FIG URE 3, which normally includes a tube 22 containing a plurality of tungsten carbide particles 24 or other suitable wear-resistant particles. When the flame is applied, as schematically shown in'FIGURE 2, the tube will melt to form the matrix, but a very small percentage; if any. of the particles will be melted. Rather, the particles Will be carried by the molten matrix and, upon solidification, will be bonded in the matrix to the surface 'of'the base metal'] It is very desirable that the particles beuniformly distributed or dispersed more or less evenly through the matrix. If the temperature of the flame is too high, the melted tube 22, which becomes the matrix, will be too liquid. The particles are-heavier than the matrix. For example, 'tungstencarbide particles have a specific gravity of about 2.3 times that of steel. Accordingly, such particles Will sink to the bottorn of the.liquid matrix, and

.will cluster against the base metal. The resulting cutter bit would perform poorly,

since the matrix will be on the surface and will be rapidly worn away. 7 The particles Another object is a method of the above type with improved carbon control so that the base metal will not be embrittled.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the ensuing specificationand drawings in which:

3 FIGURE 1 is a side view of the base metal and wearresistant layer applied thereto; FIGURE 2 is a sideschematicshowing the method; and I FIGURES is an in the method. n

In FIGURE 1 a base metal orbase material has been indicated atlll with a layer12 of hardsurfacing or wearresistant material. ,It should beunderstood that'the FIG- URE 1 showing is intended to be representative of any application of a wear-resistant layer or coating to a base metal. 1

The procedure or methodof applying a coating of a Wear-resistant character to a base metal is depicted some What in FIGURE 2 in which a rod 14, to be explained in detailhereinafter, may be held by a suitable holder 16 end view of atypical weldingrod used will be clustered against the base metal and will spoil or partially ruin the bond between the base metal and the matrix.

. On the other hand, if the melted tube is not viscous I enough, the particles will be confined relatively to the of a portion of or the like'and a flame 18 from a suitable'noz'zle' 20 or I the like applied thereto to melt the end of the rod. The

base metal maybe suitably preheated or otherwise prepared. The heat generated by'the flame melts the rod to a relatively liquescent condition or state and, upon solidification, a layer, such as shown atlZ in FIGURE'I, is permanently adhered to the .base metal. The rod may be automatically or manually fed at any predetermined or desired rate, and the rod and flame may move, as a unit, at

' in this case, the base metal has a upper surface of the equally inefiicient. I The object is to uniformly disperse or distribute the particles through the matrix addition to providing uniform wear on the wear-resistant layer, the bond between the matrix and base metal will be more efiicient. l

As an example, an oxy-acetylene flame might beused, although other types are consistent with the invention. A low. carbon steel tube will melt at about 2800 F., for example, and the particles, assuming they are tungsten carbide, might have a'melting pointof about 4600 F.

The-normal practice is to use a carburizing flame to matrix and the resulting tool will be build up carbon in the matrix of the Weld deposit. If

of the base metal is fairly large in relation to the weldv deposit, and the requirements of the. subsequent heat treatment are not unusual, this maybe satisfactory. But relatively high initial carbon content and may be quite thin. For example, in making adzer bits, a typical base metalmight be A.I-.S.I. 6150, which [has a fairly high initial carbon content." Additionally, the base metal may be only A; of an inch thick and the wear-resistant layer should be, approximately V of an inch thick, which gives'about a 4'to 1 ratio.

With a base metal this thin, a carburizing flame should notbe used, since the carbonir'om thefiame will penetrate well into or through the base metal and cause an embrittlement under and around the wear-resistant layer. This is undesirable, since the part will be subjected to considerable shock in use and embrittlernent cannot be t0ler-, ated. But carbon should be addedv to the matrix to improve its wear resistance and hold the wear-resistant parfor maximum efficiency. In 1 ticles longer, thereby giving additional life for the composite piece.

In short, we have somewhat conflicting factors. First, carbon must not be added to the base metal, since its' carbon content is initially high; second, carbon should be added to the matrix since additional carbon will increase its wear-resistant qualities and therefore the overall-life of the bit. I 7 These factors may be resolved by initially carburizing the tube. This involves adding carbon to the tube before the flame melts it in applying the wear-resistant layer to the base meal. For example,'the.tube 22 may be of a quite low carbon steel, say, 15 to 20' points of carbon. The initial carbon content of thesteel for the tube should be low, so that it may be rolled into-a relatively small tube. In this invention the tube is then carburized and this may be'accomplished by'any suitable carburizing procedure, for example we m'ay use liquid, gas or pack carburizing. We prefer pack carburizing, since it is a simple operation, but any suitable carburizing method may be used. In pack carburizing, the rods may be packed in a suitable carburizing material, for example a combination of hardwood charcoal, barium carbonate, sodium carbonate and coke, or any suitable material could be used. Also any suitable proportions or variations might be employed, We may use charred bone in any suitable percentage.

The rods and car-burizing compound may be packed in'boxes or pots made of a suitable heat-resisting alloy or otherwise, with the pods surrounded by the compound. We prefer that the compound be of a suitable fineness and somewhat evenly divided, but this is not essential. On a batch basis, the pots may be time-charged into a carburizing flame Will also add carbon to the base metal This addition furnace or it mightbe carried out on a continuous'basis;

In any event, the packed boxes are heated to a suitable temperature and held for a suitable time period. For

example, we may heat the boxes to 1700 F., or it may be otherwise. i

Box or pack carburizing has the advantage that it may be performed by relatively untrained personnel. the possibility of warpage of the rods is reduced.

Regardless of what carburizing procedure is used, the carbon content of the tube might be raised from 15 or 20 points to 120 points or more of carbon.

Thereafter the'flame is applied to melt the high carbon tubedepositing it as a matrix layer on the base metal with the hard particles held therein. The flame should be neutral, or substantially so, meaning that it will neither a'ddnor'sub'tract' carbon from the base metal. In the example given above of an oxy-acetylene flame, a neutral'flame may be otbained by burning approximately a 1 to 1 mixture of acetylene and oxygen. Such a flame may beat approximately 6000 F. a

The tube of the rod, due' to its high carbon content resulting from carbu'rizing, will melt at a lower temperature. For example, the tube might now melt at 2800 P.

.On the other hand, the particles may have a melting point Also of about 4600 F. The temperature of the flame and its proximity to' the work should be adjusted, so that while the'tube is m elted,the particles will not be substantially afiected. For example, something less than 5 percent of the particles might be dissolved, and this small additicn of tungsten and carbon to the matrix maybe beneficial, since its hardness and abrasive-resistant character will be increased.

The use, operation and function of the invention are as follows:

Applying a wear-resistant layer to a base metal normally involves the use .of a matrix or hinder material to hold a plurality of small abrasive-resistant particles on the base. metal; The layer is generally applied by melting a rod with a flame. The rod is made up of a steel outer tube which contains or houses the hard particles inside. The particles are merely carried by the tube and are not chemically combined withit. When the rod is air.

Tungsten carbide particles, for example, have a spe- 'cific gravity of about 2.3 times that of steel. This means that the particles will be substantially heavier than the matrix, and if the matrix is too liquid immediately after it is melted, the particles will sink to the bottom, and,

whenthe matrix solidifies, will be clustered next to the surface of the base metal. This will reduce the efficiency of the bond between the matrix and the base metal. Therefore, the temperature ofthe flame that melts the tube should be as low as possible. 1

The tube of the rod is normally a low carbon steel since the diameter of the tube is small and the. lower the carbon content of a steel the easier it is to roll to a small radius. But after the tube has been melted and becomes the matrix holding the hard wear-resistant particles, its carbon content should be increased so that its strength and wear-resistant properties will be increased. Otherwise the matrix will break down after a short life and the tungsten carbide particles will merely fall out.

Carbon is normally aded to the matrix by using a carburizing flame which, in the case of an oxy-acetylene flame, means an excess of acetylene. But in addition to adding carbon. to the otherwise low carbon matrix, the

which already has a high carbon content. 7 of carbon to the base metal will make it quite brittle after heat treat.

But by preliminarily carburizing the rod, very little carbon will be added to the base metal. and the properties of the matrix will be improved so that the matrix will function as a long-life mechanical support and bond for the hard particles and base metal.

This procedure has the following advantages. A low carbon steel strip may be easily rolled into a small diameter. tube to form the rod, and this isvery diflicult with a high carbon steel.

The higher the carbon content of the steel tube, the, lower the temperature at which it melts. By having the carbon in the tube, we obtain better control of the carbon than if it is in the flame. Additionally, we may use a lower temperature flame thereby reducing the possibilities of embrittlement from gases in the flame and in the By having the carbon in the rod, the base metal will not be affected by the carbon in the heat eifected zone as much asif the carbon is in the flame, and this is important since the carbon content of the base metal is ini-' tially high and we are primarily concerned with thin sections. Additionally, less heat is required which means that we may speed up the welding process and save on gas or electricity, as the case may be, and fewer problems occur. Additionally, we have found that we have eliminated cracking of the Weld deposit which, prior to this invention, wasconsidered a necessary evil when working with thin sections.

While we have shown and described a preferred form and suggested several variations of our invention, it should be understood that suitable additional modifications, changes, substitutions and alterations may be made without departing from the inventions fundamental theme.

We therefore wish that the invention be unrestricted, ex-

' steel tube surrounding a plurality of abrasive resistant particles, initially carburizing the tube to add. a predetermined amount of carbon thereto consistant with the desired hardness of the wear resistant layer, adjusting a heat source to 'a generally neutral condition so that carbon will not be added to the base metal in any appreciable Lpoint of the steel tube and the -tubes carbon content, so

that when'the tube is melted on the vbase metal the, thus 1 formed layerjw ill have a viscosity such that the abrasive J resistant particles will stay in suspension and will not sink to thelbottom of thefmetal layer, applying the neutral heat source andvcarburized tube tothewbase metal for a period of time so that the, steel will melt and be sufli'ciently I liquid to form a matrix layer on the base metalof:sufii- 'ci ent viscosity, during'its' liquid condition, to hold the particles in suspension, and removing the heat source and allowing the inatrix to solidify with theparticl'es distributed therein." V I y I References Cited in the file of this patent or v UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,517,292 Jones Dec. 2, 1924 2,003,019 Strobel May 28, .1935

v, 2,113,667 Swift Apr. 12, 1938 2,288,869 Wassermann July 7, 1942 r 2,427,517 Wilson et al. Sept. 16, 1947 2,592,414 "Gibson Apr. 8, 1952 I 2,841,687 Richter July 1, 1958 2,888,344 Noren May 26,

. v H I 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 350,607 Great Britain l June18, 1931 350,608 GreatBr-itain June 18, 1931 I OTHER REFERENCES Stoody Co, C

relied on);

atalog No. 105, Whittier, Calif. (pp. 13-14 2 

